Author: James Woodward

At Sarum College a significant part of our work is in the formation of women and men for lay and ordained ministry ( see a little of our work here https://www.sarum.ac.uk/ministry-training). I enjoyed Matts last book (Becoming Reverend) which charts his progress, survival and flourishing amidst the ups and downs of theological College in Durham. […]

Lessons from the 44th President of the United States of America I have spent far too much time with my head buried in the pages of political memoir for good and less good reasons! As a genre they are complex, contradictory and (on the whole ) much given to short term judgments that seek to […]

An observant friend taking note of the small pile of ‘books being read or (being attempted) to be read’ saw a copy of Jan Morris’ earlier volume In My Minds Eye A Thought Dairy on my table and thoughtfully produced this book for a Christmas present. So those days between Christmas and New Year were […]

As adventures in reading go this wonderful volume is a sheer delight. Skilfully researched and lucidly written the author inhabits the space with creative care. The passion and love of the subject matter shine through the text as each chapter inhabits history, place, art and writers across the centuries. These past months have imposed upon […]

The Glorious Life of the Oak John Lewis-Stempel Doubleday 2018 As the ‘hibernation’ ( see my post 22 December) continues helped by persistent rain I turned my attention to this book recommended by the sister of a friend and colleague. It followed my use of the image of the Oak Tree( In Windsor Great Park) […]

Pre Christmas hibernation has started with a necessary limitation of Covid 19 travel. So being nourished by some good writing seems a pre requisite of survival and even a little flourishing. This collection of random, reflective, thoughts written over 188 days are delightful. They are honest, skilfully crafted pieces form a writer who knows herself, […]

‘The trouble with you is that you are never grateful,’ was the heartfelt challenge from parent to child.  It made me wonder :  Are we grateful? In these dark days of winter and with all the anxieties of the pandemic let us remind ourselves about gratitude. Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is an acknowledgment of a […]

Many years ago, I was asked by one of my teachers to look after his papers. I am working through a number of boxes. Each box ( carefully organised) contains dated collections of papers. They are lectures, draft book proposals, book reviews, talks and sermons. They are an extraordinary collection of a lifetime’s work committed […]

A sermon for Advent Sunday 29th November 2020 Windsor Great Park It is very good to be with you this morning. I am recording this  homily in Salisbury (Cathedral). I moved from Windsor some five years ago to be Principal of Sarum College in the Cathedral Close. From the windows of the college, I look out […]

by Bruce A. Stevens, London, Lexington/Fortress, 2019. This volume stands in a tradition that has had an international influence on our understanding of the nature and practice of spiritual care in older age. The author succeeded Elizabeth MacKinlay as the second Wicking Professor of Ageing and Practical Theology and director of the Colloquium for Ageing […]

So the rain pours (and pours) in Salisbury and what better escape than to read the fabulous writer Rachel Mann. Two declared spoilers as I offer this review – first I am a great admirer of Rachel. She is a wonderful writer and teacher and at Sarum College we are delighted that she is one […]

In lockdown 2 work at Sarum College continues with online teaching and preparing for the coming months of recovery but I am determined to catch up on some reading. Do you have a pile of books by your bedside that you have dipped into, put down and picked up again? Perhaps you are a one […]

So – tasked with the opportunity of exploring and writing history – which period would most capture your imagination ? In the execution of this (perhaps labour of love) what would your choice be – broad and long or short and deep? The mastery of primary and secondary information requires skill and stamina. Analysis and […]

We are touched by many lives that enrich, challenge and enlarge us. My own time in Birmingham (1990 through to 2008) with the privilege of ministries across the conurbation brought me into contact with many and varied people. Rachel Waterhouse was a towering spirit – a person of substance, learning and an independence of spirit. […]

What makes for a good politician ? What might the history of politics and politicians show those seek power? Andrew Adonis has produced masterful biography of Ernest Bevin who he describes as Labour’s Churchill. I was glad to be reminded of both the man, the story and the legacy having spent much time in my […]

Where do you come from? Where is home and where do you feel most alive? What places have shaped your growing, your choices and held the ups and downs of your journey? Do we really know where we live and what has shaped the soil, its history and buildings? These are some of the questions […]

I have been reading political biographies for longer than I care to remember––and although they are entertaining, sometimes psychologically fascinating– there persists in the world politics an extraordinary mixture of of light and darkness, of naked ambition and human vulnerability, of strength and weakness. How could it be otherwise? Politicians are after all flesh and […]

I am listening to the BBC News as I share this post – and aware of how uncertain and fragile our life continues to be. Changes in infection rates, uncertainty in the jobs market and chaos with our holiday plans continue. Here are some thoughts on recent months: I wonder how you are and how […]

Beethoven : A Life in Nine Pieces by Laura Tunbridge Viking 2020 I have steered away from musical biography – often impenetrable, for insiders who know the language, the history and the details of the music. These 230 pages are quite different from the pen of the Oxford University Professor of Music. It is refreshing, […]